Some substrates, such as electrical wire or cable, are overbraided with wire to provide electrical shielding, and other substrates, such as hydraulic hoses, are overbraided with wire or other materials to provide increased strength characteristics. In both instances, the overbraiding can also provide increased abrasion resistance and durability for the product. However, in many instances it is impractical to overbraid such substrates with a desired exterior material. For example, electrical wires and cables are frequently installed in computer installations and particularly in robotic installations where it is desirable to bundle a number of wires or cables together and retrofit a flexible sleeving over the wire or cable bundle at the time of installation, or sometime after the original installation. In other circumstances, it is desirable to protect other conduits such as air hoses, water hoses, or other hoses by retrofitting sleeving over the hose at the time of installation, or thereafter.
Braided tubular sleeving has conventionally been used as a field-installed protective sleeving. One such product is the EXPANDO self-fitting protective oversleeve made by The Bentley-Harris Manufacturing Company, Lionville, Pa. The EXPANDO sleeving is a braided tubular product made from a resilient engineering plastic yarn, such as a monofilament polyester. The EXPANDO oversleeve is particularly well suited for field installation over wire and cable bundles or harnesses, hoses, and the like, because the sleeving material has an open weave construction which enables the braided tube to expand up to three times its original diameter when the braided tube is axially compressed. When the axial compression is released, the braided tube tends to return to its original smaller diameter due to the resilient nature of the engineering plastic yarn from which it is braided. This "springback" property gives the braided sleeving the desirable characteristic of being self-fitting. The sleeving therefore can conform to any size bundle which is larger than the original diameter of the sleeve and to any irregular shape. Once installed on the bundle, the braided sleeving tends to remain tightly conformed to the exterior of the bundle. Since the braided open weave construction of the oversleeving is very flexible, the oversleeving easily conforms to the shape of the underlying bundle during any bending and flexing of the bundle, thus, providing continuous protection.